For a moment
by Cherrie Keane
Summary: Richie was here for a moment, and then he was gone.


I swear, it didn't start off like this. I meant to write something happy, and fluffy and wonderful.

But. Well. It didn't work out that way. At all. ;_;

Disclaimer: After writing this, I am so glad I don't own static shock. So. Glad. D:

* * *

Richie knew he was dead.

He could feel the slightly warm metal slice through his skin like it was tissue paper.

He felt the blade rush inward, expand, and collide with the very bottommost corner of his heart, ensuring internal bleeding and a quick expiration.

He also noticed the blade had emerged on the other side of his back, severing the tendons closest to his spinal chord, ensuring that, in the slimmest chance that he survived, he would be paralyzed.

But, as it were, he wouldn't survive.

He was well aware.

Maybe if it wasn't 3 in the morning, and the ambulance wouldn't take a minimum of ten minutes to intercept him, he might pull through. Granted, that was if the medics were already on the scene, ready to catch him as he fell, rather than within the few minutes that it would take his partner to notice his severe injury and actually get help.

But this of course, would not happen.

Richie's mind had calculated all the odds, filled in all the blanks, given every aspect of information it could gather from the moment. All the facts displayed themselves in front of his mind, making none of this a surprise in any way.

One would think it might be comforting, having all the evidence in plain view. Knowing everything about a given situation without any doubts.

But it didn't.

The facts didn't make the blow any less painful.

They didn't stifle the sound of his partners scream as Gear's skates momentarily lost the connection to the brain they were receiving information from, and sent him careening towards the hard pavement.

And they certainly didn't make the eventual introduction to earth any less unpleasant.

There was a sickening crunch as Richie's shoulder blade connected with the concrete.

_Yep. Its definitely broken. Along with a few of my ribs. Oh, and look, pieces of my armor or getting into my wound! Wont that be fun for the coroners to clean out? _

Even in his last moments, sarcasm coating Richie's mind. For once it would be nice to have a super brain that wasn't so snarky.

He didn't bother moving. He was aware would be dead within the hour.

Maybe that was the bright side to his powers constant and biting wise cracks.

_No surprises._

Over head, he heard Static let loose a howl of rage.

_Well, **almost** no surprises._

It had been a surprise for Richie to see his best friend show up at his doorstep this morning.

It had been months since he had seen his best friend. Almost a year. But there he was, plain and simple, staring at him from the porch of the apartment Richie occasionally inhabited when he wasn't at the Justice League's space station.

After all, he was officially apart of the league now. He liked to compare himself to Batman's behind the scenes tech geek, Oracle. Gear controlled every aspect of the space tower, had worldwide surveillance for the team, and made some of the best gadgets that even J'onn had ever seen.

All before he turned 45.

Which, he had to admit, given the high risk of being a super hero, and the average life expectancy for your typical cape-and-tights, that was pretty damn good.

He didn't have much time for life on earth however.

He didn't have much time for a life period really.

He had always thought it was better that way.

He felt backpack V.5. send a signal of alarm through his helmet, silently asking permission to contact the medics. Richie dismissed the call, not desiring to be rushed to the nearest hospital, only to die in a foreign emergency vehicle, surrounded by people who didn't know him, didn't care for him.

Backpack V.5. Sent a final signal of farewell, confirming that it would complete its current tasks and self destruct before dawn. Richie relaxed momentarily.

No, it was better to die here.

In his city.

To die where it had all started.

He remembered moving to Dakota from the Midwest with his parents. His kind loving mother, and his tough, but equally as loving father.  
He remembered being the only white kid in a city classroom. The smiling face of a boy in dreads next to him

He remembered highschool, and growing up with his best friend. Of comics, late night pizza runs, passing notes in class.

He remembered the night Virgil, became Static, and their friendship growing ever stronger with the bond of this secret.

He remembered his slow transformation into Gear, the thrill of those long nights battling crime with his best friend, thinking that those nights would never end, that they would stay young forever, with no decisions ahead of them.

He remembered the day he came out to Virgil, and the dreadlocked boy thought nothing of it, making Richie laugh with his easy acceptance.

He remembered going to Dakota U with his partner. Of movie marathons, meal plan pizza runs, sneaking out of their dorm in the middle of the night to live as their alter egos. He remembered the frustrations of being two superheros in college.

He remembered the day he realized that he was incurably, undeniably, and unbelievably in love with his best friend. Those days admiring every moment spent in his company.

He remembered him and his best friend dropping out, and Richie becoming the youngest tech executive at Wayne enterprises stationed in Dakota. He remembered the small, modest flat that him and Virgil shared for 3 blissful years. Of video games, late night and early morning pizza runs, and the League inducting both of them as apprentices.

He remembered the day Virgil got engaged.

He remembered the day he was Virgil's best man. The coldest spring day he had ever experience. The longest ceremony he had ever had to stand through. Fighting back tears when he heard the words 'I do.'

He remembered the moment when Daisy found out about Static; their once exclusive secret now shared, not their own.

He remembered those 7 long months alone in their empty apartment. He remembered his decision to leave Dakota, and become a permanent member of the Justice League. How Virgil decided to stay with his wife on earth, to put his spot on the Justice League on hold for his would be family.

He remembered the day they found out that Daisy couldn't conceive a child. The hurt on Virgil's face. His broken heart. Richie remembered Virgil's tears.

He remembered the day he changed things forever; of using robotics, cloning, and his metahuman abilities to create new life.

He remembered Daisy's tears of happiness, she was sure she could never thank him enough.

He remembered that incomprehensible look on Virgil's face, the appreciation he could never fully express to his best friend. The closest that Richie would ever get to the real thing.

He remembered the day they named Richie the god father of their only son. He remembered the feeling of being close to Virgil again, of having a family together.

He remembered the day he left. The day he realized that the family he had in mind would never be, could never be, under the circumstances.

He remembered the years following, of being praised and commended on his efforts as Gear. Of finally dropping the sidekick act, and becoming a symbol of hope to the remaining bang babies on earth.

He remembered months of losing contact with the people below, including the only man who had ever given his heart to, however secretly.

He remembered Virgil showing up on his doorstep this morning, on one of the few days a year that Richie was actually on this planet, asking for his help defeating a particularly nasty group of metahumans that threatened the entire city of Dakota.

He remembered, only moments ago, he had been fighting alongside his best friend, as if they were teenagers again. Their costumes were different, as where their lives, but their companionship wasn't.

He remembered the hope that had swelled in his heart, how it felt to be 16 again, fighting crime, without a care in the world.

He remembered the warm smile that crossed his face in response to one of Statics terrible jokes.

And he remembered the flash of glowing silver, his armor giving way to the pressure of hot metal, right before the world paused for a moment.

Then the world rushed back, as did his body, the pain of returning to the ground.

It was funny really.

He had never thought he would die here in Dakota. Hell, he had never even suspected that he would die on earth.

And he never thought all that nonsense about "you're life flashing before your eyes" was true.

Furthermore, he never thought the entirety of his life would take no more than 15 seconds to remember.

True, it was only 44 years, 3 months, and 6 days.

But he thought he would at least get to 2 minutes of action.

Oh well, that's life for you.

Overhead he heard the distinct sound of a body colliding with bricks. A scream echoed through the sky. There was white light, brighter than the sun. He could hear the hum of electricity.

Then came the running. In all directions. Yells of panic, of retreat.

Static hadn't won, just merely scared them off.

Richie closed his eyes.

It wouldn't be much longer. All he had to do was wait for it. They would find him here, maybe minutes later. His body growing cold from the lack of blood being pumped through his veins. His bones and armor broken from the impact of the fall and the blade. His visor slightly ajar.

He would be long dead before anyone found him, he just knew it.

Somewhere above him, he heard his name. Or rather, the name of who he had become.

"Gear!"

There was uncertainty in that voice.

Richie willed for death to take him. He didn't want to see Statics face. Didn't want to have to witness the other superhero try to save a lost cause.

But death stayed stationary, lurking somewhere in the shadows, making Richie wait out his fate.

If only that blade had been 2.74 inches higher.

He heard the sound of feet dropping from the air. Static had jumped from his disk before it even landed, running towards his partner the moment his feet had collided with earth, stumbling at the impact.

He felt his visor being removed, and warm hands cupping his face tenderly.

"Ri...Richie?"

He heard the sweetest voice hesitate, heard the sickening panic that voice, heard the crushing disbelief.

He felt, rather than saw, the warm tear hit his face.

"Oh god, Richie, please, _please..._"

Richie took a breath.

It was possibly the most painful thing he had ever done in his entire life. But that was OK, since his life would be over in a matter of minutes. He just needed to steady himself.

He opened his eyes slowly, and stared up into the most beautiful face he had ever had the astonishing luck to meet.

Even with eyes swimming with tears, Virgil was beautiful. His dark coffee skin, his long dreads pulled back in a haphazard ponytail, his dark auburn eyes behind the mask. He was the most stunning thing Richie had ever seen.

_Well...almost._

Richie reached up, as best he could, and lightly touched the fabric of Virgil's mask. He tried to get a hold on it enough to remove it, but for some reason, he could barely control his fingertips. His whole body was a foreign object to him now.

It was as if he could almost felt his heart slowing down.

But Virgil understood in a moment, tore his mask away and tossed it to the side.

_Ahhh...there it is..._

Richie's grey eyes locked with the brown ones above him, admiring the dept of them, wishing he could look into them forever.

Virgil leaned downward, taking Richie's hand into his own. His lip trembled as more tears spilled from his eyes.

"Please, _please..._"

He spoke, and Richie shivered. Virgil pressed his lips together with dread, fearing that the tremble that shook Richie's body was from pain.

Oh the things his best friend didn't know.

The things his best friend would never know.

He could feel it now. The pain was ebbing. Everything was leaving. He was slipping away. He was so tired. So very tired. He longed to sleep. Just for a moment, that was all. Just to close his eyes, and let everything slip away, if only for mere moments.

He craned his head heavenward, towards the sad, but angelic face looking down at him.

"Virgil..."

It was barely a whisper. It didn't sound like his own voice.

The last words that only one person would ever hear.

Comprehension blossomed in those eyes, the fear following close after.

"Richie..._Richie_...please..._please _don't leave me. You...Richie..."

Richie was so very tired...he could feel the world around him disappearing...everything he knew...was slipping away...

"I love you Rich."

At those last words, he felt his weak heart skip a beat.

Under all circumstances, every scientific explanation, that should have killed him. Richie's super brain simply could not compute the phenomenon of his heart still fluttering on after such a shock.

It was impossible.

But somethings in life are just that way.

Like the impossible warmth that spread through his veins at his best friends words, even though he should be growing cold by now.

Like the impossible strength that was now finding its way through his limbs, the numbness dying down, if only for seconds.

Like the impossible friendship they had shared, through everything, through his entire life.

Richie reached upward, his eyes still on the chocolate ones above him, and touched the man he had, and always would, love.

The man who loved him back.

The man who he he wished he had more time with.

The man whose face was warm with the hum of electricity, and wet with the most precious tears imaginable.

Richie could feel a familiar sensation. At the contact, the corners of his mouth began to turn upward, as they often did when Virgil was around.

And for a moment, a small microscopic moment, the face above him returned the gesture, even as understanding passed through those beautiful dark eyes.

The warmth lingered, and carried him away, with his final thoughts lingering on the man in front of him, the silent smile playing on his lips for the rest of eternity.

Sleep was silent...warm...blissful...

And he was there for a moment...just a moment.

Then he was gone, like a familiar breeze in the winter wind.


End file.
